Archive for October, 2012

CRAZY OLD AUNTS DESERVE TO DIE!: A rather startling ad part of a series in New York City subways. “If they have lung cancer. Many people believe that if you have lung cancer you did something to deserve it. It sounds absurd, but it’s true. Lung cancer doesn’t discriminate and neither should you. Help put an end to the stigma and the disease at NoOneDeservesToDie.org”

“I was walking down 42nd street one day, I wasn’t workin’42nd street I was walkin 42nd street. And this amazing thing happened to me. It was July it was about 98 degrees. It was hot, hot for New York You know and I was walking east and this humungous person was coming west. And she had this big blue house dress on peppered all over with little white daisies. She was almost bald but sitting on top of her head, forehead you know on her forehead was this fried egg. Which I thought was really unusual. Because in New York City the ladies with the fried eggs on their heads don’t generally come out until September or October you know. Here was this lady this demented lady with a little fried egg on her head in the middle of July. God what a sight and ever, ever since I saw that lady not one day goes by that I don’t think of her and I say to myself “Oh God, don’t let me wake up tomorrow and want to put a fried egg on my head. Oh God. “Then I say real fast I say ” Oh God, If by chance I should wind up with a fried egg on my head”;cause sometimes you can’t help those things you know, you can’t. I say to myself “don’t let anybody notice.”And then I say real fast after that “if they do notice that I’m carrying something that, that’s not quite right and they want to talk about it, let ’em talk about it but don’t let ’em talk so I can hear I don’t want to hear it.” Cause the truth about fried eggs, you can call it a fried egg, you can call it anything you like, but everybody gets one, some people wear ’em on the outside, some people they wear ’em on the inside.”

BANAN-APEAL: The economy is taking a bad turn when our local fruits are begging in the streets! This down and out banana was found a-peeling for funds on east 40th street Friday afternoon. ‘Brother, can you spare an ice cream scoop?” “I’ll ripen for $1.00.” “Do I a-peel to you?” “I’ll peel for $2.00!”

Truth be told, I was in a hurry to an appointment down the street when I passed this scene and found it quite amusing and odd. Half an hour later I passed by and still no one was there, so I went into one of the local stores to shop. Fifteen minutes later, still no one, just the banana. When I asked how the banana was doing, it said “I just miss the rest of the bunch.”

IDENTITY CRISIS: the Milford Plaza Hotel in Times Square seems to be suffering from a bad case of identity crisis. Due to an electrical shortage the full service hotel’s sign seems to be confused between ‘Motel’ and ‘Hotel’. (Slightly reminiscent of the Bates Motel in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Psycho”).

‘Phil’ is an albino peacock who lives in the gardens of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Harlem NYC with his brothers Jim and Harry who are the standard green/purple colors of a peacock.St. John the Divine is the largest gothic style cathedral in the world, two football fields long. Built in 1892, it is still in the process of being built. When attending an organ concert at the cathedral you will hear Phil chime in, he screeches along to the music.

FLOATING: This hyper-realistic sculpture sits in Petrosino Square, the triangular pocket park at the intersection of Soho, Little Italy, and Chinatown. It is by artist Carole Feuerman as part of NYC’s public arts program. It is unbelievably detailed down to the translucent drops of water on her skin – it is called ‘The Survival of Serena’. Here is a link to Carole’s web site, it is astounding:http://www.carolefeuerman.com/

A GRANDE DAME – ANNY CORNELIUS, MY AUNT: 10-18-1898 to 6-8-1987. Opera singer. Sister to my mother’s mother. My grandmother was Amahlie Jeahne who was a concert pianist and also a soprano opera singer who sang Queen of the Night under the direction of iconic German conductor Herbert Von Karajan. Anny was the feisty one. She gave up her whole life for her opera career with the Berlin State Opera. She lived and breathed music. To Karajan’s astonishment she had perfect pitch. She could hit the note just like that! Karajan would always say: “Get the little dark one to hit the note, she can do it!” That…somewhat annoyed yet impressed opera diva Maria Callas. Callas would not associate with the rest of any cast much, but she always remembered my great aunt. Despite being German, Anny had somewhat of a olive complexion and thick, beautiful dark brown long hair and big brown saucer eyes. This intrigued both Karajan and Callas. So hence – Callas and Karajan dubbed her “the little dark one”. Both called her that for the rest of their lives. When in Venice, Callas would write Anny letters saying ‘my little dark one, the party won’t be the same without you, please come.’ Anny sang some of the top roles such as The Rosenkavalier and Carmen, her career was about to break so she would receive top billing continuously, but World War II ended what many believe, would have been an astounding career. As with 9/11, inhaling all that debris when running from the bombings and the gases, never brought her voice to quite what it was. The fate for so many singers at the time. So…she taught. Her classes in her 5 floor walk up apartment were much sought after.
Royalty had proposed marriage to Anny. She could have any suitor she wanted. Her sister Amahlie married, Anny…was married to the passion of her music – her career. She had music in her soul! She sang for the soldiers during the bombing attacks in Berlin. He presence lit up a room. Her laugh was a rolling waterfall of notes. The life of every party, which is why Callas would always invite her.
The letters from Callas are all gone. Anny was one of the first people to recognizably die of Alzheimer’s disease. Although at first it was assumed it was old age senility. She retired in a home for opera singers paid for by the German state. My mother, her sister and I lived in New York. We couldn’t be by her side all the time in her last months. Mom supported the family, ‘oma/grandma’ took care of me. Her neighbors knew of the Callas treasures and talked her out of them. When we arrived in her last days, most everything was gone. All we have are a few distant remnants of her glorious past. She is hard to find on the internet although some opera buffs have found recordings of her we have yet to find ourselves. We only own one record and her publicity photos. Here she is at the height of her career. Anny was my Auntie Mame to the fullest. Grande dame, dramatic, ultra chic and worldly – she taught me how to “live”. Anny Cornelius – today is her birthday.